Brad Cesmat
In mid-August I was talking with Diamondback Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick about the nosedive that his baseball team was taking. I reminded him of our conversation Tuesday night while standing in the corner of the jubilant locker room. “I’m better now, we’re in the Final Four”, he said with a grin.
Owners get heat when a team doesn’t win. They are criticized when free agent moves and trades don’t work out. Any owner is going to get ripped. Doesn’t matter where their decimal point lands, fans want winners.
I would say that if you look at the franchise the last couple of years, you should be happy that Mr. Kendrick is in the ownership position. How many owners stick with a manager through constant losing? Torey Lovullo is still here and now taking his team to the NLCS. The owner has to sign off on items like Corbin Carroll getting a ten year contract. He has to show care and compassion when his General Manager is going through a horrible family situation with his wife, who would eventually pass away. He endured the tearing down of the franchise with the Paul Goldschmidt trade. Lots of empty seats and a creaky ballpark.
The first owner I had to cover in this business was Donald T. Sterling, followed by Alex Spanos. I was 0-2. There are more bad owners than good ones. I feel good for Ken Kendrick tonight. He likes to stay out of the spotlight, but he should be given credit for staying the course. This core group of players is sooooo young. A long run of success appears to be here.
Thanks Ken…
